Top chefs heading to Our Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival
A former executive chef with Gordon Ramsey and a celebrity expert in Chinese cooking are just two of the top chefs appearing at this month’s free-admission Our Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival across the town centre.
Taking place in Suffolk’s Foodie Capital on the Sunday and Monday of the bank holiday weekend, it offers a menu to please all palates. The Chefs on Stage Cookery Theatre will host demonstrations from some of the area’s favourite establishments with celebrity chef Ching-He Huang MBE creating a stir in the kitchen across the day on the Monday. Ching has hosted ‘Chinese Food Made Easy’ for the BBC as well as ‘Exploring China – A Culinary Adventure’ with Ken Hom and participated in many other favourites including ‘Saturday Kitchen’.
On the first day of the festival popular local restaurants 1921, ICE, Giggling Squid, Rustico and Bellota will all be sharing their kitchen secrets. The Wine Cellar will also be hosting a demonstration and the day will start with great tips on avoiding food waste from local chef Rowen Halstead known as Waste Not Rowen.
Ching-He Huang will be making three appearances on stage on Bank Holiday Monday in between demonstrations of food and cocktails from Bay Tree Café and The Angel Hotel respectively. Also in the kitchen on Monday will be Steve Allen who is executive chef at Cote overseeing the group’s 70 restaurants and former executive chef to Gordon Ramsey.
The Our Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival is organised by the Business Improvement District (BID) organisation for the town. Our Bury St Edmunds BID Chief Executive Mark Cordell said: “We’ve got a stellar line-up in the kitchen this year and are very much looking forward to welcoming Ching-He Huang. She won’t just be demonstrating that Chinese cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming but if her fans bring along copies of any of her books, she will be happy to sign them too. The two branches of Waterstones in the town both stock her books so getting hold of a copy couldn’t be easier.
“Of course, as with all our events we have plenty going on throughout the town centre for all ages to enjoy. As well as the Farmers’ Market, the fairground rides and a wide range of stalls offering food and drink from around the world, our many hospitality businesses in the town will also look forward to welcoming visitors.”
The festival offers a number of other attractions to help all the family work up an appetite including children’s entertainment, mini-golf, a helter-skelter and other family-focussed activities all based at arc Shopping Centre. Full details about the event, which runs from 10am to 5pm on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August, can be found at: www.ourburystedmunds.com/foodanddrinkfestival.
